Continuous casting of foamed bulk amorphous alloys

ABSTRACT

Methods and apparatuses for the continuous casting of solid foam structures with varying bubble density from bulk solidifying amorphous alloys are provided. Continuously cast solid foam structures having bubble densities in the range of from 50 percent up to 95% by volume are also provided.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to methods of continuous castingamorphous metallic foams, and to amorphous metallic foams made frombulk-solidifying amorphous alloys.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Metallic foam structures (metallic solid foam or metallic cellularsolids) are known to have interesting combinations of physicalproperties. Metallic foams offer high stiffness in combination with verylow specific weight, high gas permeability, and a high energy absorptioncapability. As a result, these metallic foam materials are emerging as anew engineering material. Generally, foam structures can be classifiedas either open or closed porous. Open foams are mainly used asfunctional materials, such as for gas permeability membranes, whileclosed foams find application as structural materials, such as energyabsorbers. However, the broad application of metallic foams has beenhindered by the inability of manufacturers to produce uniform andconsistent foam structures at low cost. Specifically, currentmanufacturing methods for producing metallic foams result in anundesirably wide distribution of cell and/or pore sizes which cannot besatisfactorily controlled. These manufacturing limits in turn degradethe functional and structural properties of the metallic foam materials.

The production of metallic foamed structures is generally carried out inthe liquid state above the melting temperature of the material, thoughsome solid-state methods have also been used. The foaming of ordinarymetals is challenging because a foam is an inherently unstablestructure. The reason for the imperfect properties of conventionalmetallic foams comes from the manufacturing process itself. For example,although a pure metal or metal alloy can be manufactured to have a largevolume fraction (>50%) of gas bubbles, a desired bubble distributioncannot be readily sustained for practical times while these alloys arein their molten state. This limitation also results in difficulties inattempts to produce continuously cast parts with different thicknessesand dimensions.

Specifically, the time scales for the flotation of bubbles in a foamscales with the viscosity of the material. Most conventional alloys havea very low viscosity in the molten state. Accordingly, the mechanicalproperties of these foams are degraded with the degree of imperfectioncaused by the flotation and bursting of bubbles during manufacture. Inaddition, the low viscosity of commonly used liquid metals results in ashort time scale for processing, which makes the processing of metallicfoam a delicate process.

In order to remedy these shortcomings, several techniques have beenattempted. For example, to reduce the sedimentation flotation process,Ca particles may be added to the liquid alloy. However, the addition ofCa itself degrades the metallic nature of the base metal as well as theresultant metallic foam. Alternatively, foaming experiments have beenperformed under reduced gravity, such as in space, to reduce the drivingforce for flotation, however, the cost for manufacturing metallic foamsin space is prohibitive.

Accordingly, a need exists for improved methods of manufacturingamorphous metallic foams.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to method of continuous casting ofamorphous metallic foams in sheet or other blanks forms.

In one embodiment of the invention, the foam sheet is formed usingconventional single roll, double roll, or other chill-body forms.

In another embodiment of the invention, the amorphous alloy foam sheetshave sheet thicknesses of from 0.1 mm to 10 mm.

In one embodiment of the invention, a bubble density less than 10% byvolume in the foam precursor is increased in the subsequent steps toproduce a solid foam material with more than 80% by volume bubbledensity.

In another embodiment of the invention, the bubble density increases bya factor of 5 or more from the initial foam precursor into the finalcontinuously cast solid foam material.

In still another embodiment of the invention, the majority of the bubbleexpansion is achieved at temperatures above Tnose and temperatures belowabout Tm.

In yet another embodiment of the invention, the bubble density isincreased by a factor of 5 or more from the initial foam precursor attemperatures above Tnose and temperatures below about Tm.

In still yet another embodiment of the invention, a bubble density lessthan 10% by volume in the foam precursor is increased to more than 80%by volume bubble density at temperatures above Tnose and temperaturesbelow about Tm.

In one embodiment of the invention, the melt temperature is stabilizedin a viscosity regime of 0.1 to 10,000 poise.

In another embodiment of the invention, the melt temperature isstabilized in a viscosity regime of 1 to 1,000 poise.

In still another embodiment of the invention, the melt temperature isstabilized in a viscosity regime of 10 to 10,000 poise.

In one embodiment of the invention, the extraction of continuous foamsheet is preferably done at speeds of 0.1 to 50 cm/sec

In another embodiment of the invention, the extraction of continuousfoam sheet is preferably done at speeds of 0.5 to 10 cm/sec

In still another embodiment of the invention, the extraction ofcontinuous foam sheet is preferably done at speeds of 1 to 5 cm/sec

In one embodiment the invention is directed to continuously cast solidfoam structures having bubble densities in the range of from 50 percentup to 95% by volume.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features and advantages of the present invention will bebetter understood by reference to the following detailed descriptionwhen considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is block flow diagram of an exemplary method for continuouscasting bulk solidifying amorphous alloy foams in accordance with thecurrent invention.

FIG. 2a is a side view in partial cross section of an exemplaryconventional apparatus for forming sheets of a molten metal foams.

FIG. 2b is a close-up of the formation of the sheet of molten metal foamshown in FIG. 2a.

FIG. 3 is a side view in partial cross section of an exemplary apparatusfor forming precursors of a molten bulk solidifying amorphous alloy.

FIG. 4 is a time-temperature transformation diagram for an exemplarycontinuous foam casting sequence in accordance with the currentinvention.

FIG. 5 is a temperature-viscosity of an exemplary bulk solidifyingamorphous alloy in accordance with the current invention.

FIG. 6a is a graphical representation of the flotation (sedimentation)properties of an embodiment (Zr₄₁Ti₁₄Cu₁₂Ni₁₀Be₂₃ (% atom.) calledVIT-1) of a suitable materials for manufacturing amorphous metallicfoams according to the current invention

FIG. 6b is a graphical representation of the flotation (sedimentation)properties of an embodiment (Zr₄₁Ti₁₄Cu₁₂Ni₁₀Be₂₃ (% atom.) calledVIT-1) of a suitable materials for manufacturing amorphous metallicfoams according to the current invention as compared to pure Al metal.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to method of continuous casting ofamorphous metallic foams in sheet or other blanks forms using bulksolidifying amorphous alloys.

For the purposes of this invention, the term amorphous means at least50% by volume of the alloy is in amorphous atomic structure, andpreferably at least 90% by volume of the alloy is in amorphous atomicstructure, and most preferably at least 99% by volume of the alloy is inamorphous atomic structure.

Bulk solidifying amorphous alloys are amorphous alloys (metallicglasses), which can be cooled at substantially lower cooling rates, ofabout 500 K/sec or less, than conventional amorphous alloys andsubstantially retain their amorphous atomic structure. As such, they canbe produced in thickness of 1.0 mm or more, substantially thicker thanconventional amorphous alloys, which have thicknesses of about 0.020 mm,and which require cooling rates of 10⁵ K/sec or more. U.S. Pat. Nos.5,288,344; 5,368,659; 5,618,359; and 5,735,975 (the disclosure of eachof which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety) disclosesuch exemplary bulk solidifying amorphous alloys.

One exemplary family of bulk solidifying amorphous alloys can bedescribed as (Zr,Ti)_(a)(Ni,Cu,Fe)_(b)(Be,Al,Si,B)_(c), where a is inthe range of from 30 to 75, b is in the range of from 5 to 60, and c inthe range of from 0 to 50 in atomic percentages. Furthermore, thosealloys can accommodate substantial amounts of other transition metals(up to 20% atomic), including metals such as Nb, Cr, V, Co. Accordingly,a preferable alloy family is (Zr,Ti)_(a)(Ni,Cu)_(b)(Be)_(c), where a isin the range of from 40 to 75, b is in the range of from 5 to 50, and cin the range of from 5 to 50 in atomic percentages. Still, a morepreferable composition is (Zr,Ti)_(a)(Ni,Cu)_(b)(Be)_(c), where a is inthe range of from 45 to 65, b is in the range of from 7.5 to 35, and cin the range of from 10 to 37.5 in atomic percentages. Anotherpreferable alloy family is (Zr)_(a)(Nb,Ti)_(b)(Ni,Cu)_(c)(Al)_(d), wherea is in the range of from 45 to 65, b is in the range of from 0 to 10, cis in the range of from 20 to 40 and d in the range of from 7.5 to 15 inatomic percentages.

Another set of bulk-solidifying amorphous alloys are ferrous metal (Fe,Ni, Co) based compositions, where the content of ferrous metals is morethan 50% by weight. Examples of such compositions are disclosed in U.S.Pat. No. 6,325,868, (A. Inoue et. al., Appl. Phys. Lett., Volume 71, p464 (1997)), (Shen et. al., Mater. Trans., JIM, Volume 42, p 2136(2001)), and Japanese patent application 2000126277 (Publ. # .2001303218A), all of which are incorporated herein by reference. One exemplarycomposition of such alloys is Fe₇₂Al₅Ga₂P₁₁C₆B₄. Another exemplarycomposition of such alloys is Fe₇₂Al₇Zr₁₀Mo₅W₂B₁₅. Although, these alloycompositions are not as processable as Zr-base alloy systems, they canbe still be processed in thicknesses around 1.0 mm or more, sufficientenough to be utilized in the current invention.

In general, crystalline precipitates in amorphous alloys are highlydetrimental to their properties, especially to the toughness andstrength of such materials, and as such it is generally preferred tolimit these precipitates to as small a minimum volume fraction possibleso that the alloy is substantially amorphous. However, there are caseswhere ductile crystalline phases precipitate in-situ during theprocessing of bulk amorphous alloys, which are indeed beneficial to theproperties of bulk amorphous alloys especially to the toughness andductility. The volume fraction of such beneficial (or non-detrimental)crystalline precipitates in the amorphous alloys can be substantial.Such bulk amorphous alloys comprising such beneficial precipitates arealso included in the current invention. One exemplary case is disclosedin (C. C. Hays et. al, Physical Review Letters, Vol. 84, p 2901, 2000),the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

One exemplary method, according to the present invention, for makingfoams from these bulk-solidifying amorphous alloy is shown in FIG. 1,and comprises the following steps:

-   -   1) Providing a foam pre-cursor above the liquidus temperature of        the bulk-solidifying amorphous alloy;    -   2) Stabilizing the foam precursor in a viscosity regime of 0.1        to 10,000 poise;    -   3) Ejecting the foam precursor onto the chill body of a        continuous casting apparatus    -   4) Quenching the precursor into an amorphous foam structure.

In the first step, a foam “pre-cursor” at temperatures above theliquidus temperature of the alloy is created. The volume fraction ofbubbles in this precursor can be in the range of from 5% to 50%, and thebubbles are preferably created to have a large internal pressure byprocessing the pre-cursor at high pressures (up to ˜50 bar or more).

Secondly, the precursor is stabilized at temperatures around or belowthe alloy's melting temperature at viscosity regimes of 0.1 poise to10,000 poise. This step is necessary to stabilize the bubbledistribution as well as for the continuous casting of sheet or otherblank shapes. Preferably, such stabilization is again carried out underhigh pressures, up to 50 bar or more, to retain the bubble distributionand high internal pressure in the formed bubbles.

Subsequently, the viscous foam precursor is introduced onto the chillbody of a continuous casting apparatus. Schematic diagrams of anexemplary continuous casting apparatus are provided in FIGS. 2a and 2b.As shown in these diagrams, the continuous casting apparatus 1 has achill body 3 which moves relative to a injection orifice 5, throughwhich the melt 7 is introduced to form a solidified sheet 9. In thisspecification, the apparatus is described with reference to the sectionof a casting wheel 3 which is located at the wheel's periphery andserves as a quench substrate as used in the prior art. It will beappreciated that the principles of the invention are also applicable, aswell, to other conventional quench substrate configurations such as abelt, double-roll wheels, wheels having shape and structure differentfrom those of a wheel, or to casting wheel configurations in which thesection that serves as a quench substrate is located on the face of thewheel or another portion of the wheel other than the wheel's periphery.In addition, it should be understood that the invention is also directedto apparatuses that quench the molten alloy by other mechanisms, such asby providing a flow of coolant fluid through axial conduits lying nearthe quench substrate. To provide a steady state flow of melt through theorifice, there are some complex relations that need to be satisfiedbetween the applied pressure (or gravitational pull-down), the orificeslit size, the surface tension of the melt, the viscosity of the melt,and the pull-out speed of the solidification front.

As shown, in the detailed view in FIG. 1b, the chill body wheel 7travels in a clockwise direction in close proximity to a slotted nozzle3 defined by a left side lip 13 and a right side lip 15. As the metalflows onto the chill body 7 it solidifies forming a solidification front17. Above the solidification front 17 a body of molten metal 19 ismaintained. The left side lip 13 supports the molten metal essentiallyby a pumping action which results from the constant removal of thesolidified sheet 9. The rate of flow of the molten metal is primarilycontrolled by the viscous flow between the right side lip 15 andsolidified sheet 9.

Once the melt is introduced onto the chill body of the continuouscasting apparatus, the viscous melt containing the high pressure bubblesis quenched into a solid foam material. During the quenching process, arelatively solid skin can form on the surface of the material havingcontact with the chill body, whereas the body of the viscous portion ofthe melt can continue to expand to increase the volume fraction until itcompletely freezes. The formed solid foam material can then be extractedform the chill body at speeds ranging from 0.1 cm/sec to 50 cm/sec.

As discussed above, in order to prepare the pre-cursor, a gas has to beintroduced into the liquid bulk-solidifying amorphous alloy. Anysuitable method of introducing bubbles in the liquid bulk-solidifyingamorphous alloy sample may be utilized in the current invention. In oneexemplary embodiment, gas releasing agents, such as B₂O₃ can be usedwhich are mixed with the metal alloy. During the processing, the B₂O₃releases H₂O₃ at elevate temperatures, which in turn forms gas bubblesin the size range of between ˜20 μm up to ˜2 mm. With bubbles withinthis size range no observable gradient takes place in a typical bulksolidifying amorphous alloy alloy.

Another method to introduce bubbles into a liquid bulk-solidifyingamorphous alloy to obtain a pre-cursor foam is by mechanical treating.In such an embodiment, the stability of a liquid surface can bedescribed by comparing the inertial force to the capillary force,according to the ratio:

$\begin{matrix}{W = \frac{{\rho v}^{2}L}{\sigma}} & (1)\end{matrix}$where W is the Weber number, ρ is the density of the liquid, v thevelocity of the moving interface, L a typical length for bubble size,and σ the liquid's surface energy. For W<1 the liquid surface becomesunstable and gives rise to mechanically create bubbles in the liquid.This equation makes it possible to calculate the size of bubbles thatcan be created for a given inertial force and surface energy. Forexample, an object with a velocity of 10 m/s moving in a liquid with adensity of 6.7 g/cm³ and a viscosity of 1 Pa·s is able to break-upbubbles with a size down to 1 μm. In one exemplary embodiment that usesa Vitreloy 106 (Zr—Nb—Ni—Cu—Al Alloy) pre-cursor made in accordance withthis mechanical method, a bubble size distribution between 0.020 mm and1 mm can be readily obtained with a volume fraction of around 10%.

A schematic of an apparatus capable of creating a pre-cursor accordingto this method is shown in FIG. 3. In this embodiment, a heated crucible20 holds the liquid alloy sample 22 and a spinning whisk 24 is used tobreakup existing bubbles 26 and create new bubbles 28 by breaking up thesurface 30 of the liquid. A bubbler 32, consisting in this embodiment ofa tube through which gas may be passed is used to create the initialbubbles. Initial bubbles can also be created through the surface by adrag of the liquid created by the spinning whisk.

It should be noted that there is a minimum bubble size that can becreated using these precursor-forming methods. From energyconsiderations it can be derived that the minimum bubble size, is givenby:Rmin=2 Sigma/P  (2)where sigma is the (surface tension) (as in the above Weber equation),and P is the ambient pressure during bubble creation. It should be notedthe bubble size in the foam precursor are preferably as small aspossible in order to obtain a better controlled expansion in thesubsequent steps. According to the above formula, a high ambientpressure (up to 50 bars or more) is desired during bubble formation inorder to create bubbles in smaller diameters.

As discussed, after the formation of the foam precursor, the melttemperature is stabilized in a viscosity regime of 0.1 poise to 10,000poise. Since the viscosity increases with decreasing temperature,ejecting the molten amorphous alloy is preferably carried out below Tmfor processes using increased viscosity. However, it should be notedthat viscosity stabilization should be done at temperatures above Tnoseas shown in the TTT diagram provided in FIG. 4.

Even though there is no liquid/solid crystallization transformation fora bulk solidifying amorphous metal, a “melting temperature” Tm (orliquidus temperature) may be defined as the temperature of thethermodynamic melting temperature of the corresponding crystallinephases (or the liquidus temperature of the corresponding crystallinephases). Around the melting temperature, the viscosity of the bulksolidifying amorphous metal generally lays in the range 0.1 poise to10,000 poise, which is to be contrasted with the behavior of other typesof amorphous metals that have viscosities around Tm of under 0.01 poise.In addition, higher values of viscosity can be obtained using bulksolidifying amorphous alloys by undercooling the material below themelting temperature Tm, where ordinary amorphous alloys will tend tocrystallize rather rapidly. FIG. 5 shows a viscosity-temperature graphof an exemplary bulk solidifying amorphous alloy, from the VIT-001series of Zr—Ti—Ni—Cu—Be family.

The specific viscosity value at which the melt is stabilized depends ona variety of factors. One important factor is the volume fraction andthe respective bubble distribution in the precursor foam melt. A higherviscosity is employed for a higher volume fraction of bubbles in theprecursor. Secondly, the selected viscosity value is also dependent onthe dimensions of the nozzle through which the foam precursor melt isintroduced onto the chill body. Third, the allowable viscosity alsodepends on the speed the solidified solid foam material is extracted,i.e. the relative speed of the chill body to the nozzle. For a largerthickness of the initial melt precursor, a higher viscosity is desiredin order to sustain a stable melt puddle over the chill body.Specifically, the rate of flow of the molten metal is primarilycontrolled by the viscous flow between the lips of the nozzle and solidstrip being formed on the chill body. For the case of a bulk solidifyingamorphous metal, it is possible to reliably continue to process acontinuous casting of a foam material even at very low wheel rotationspeeds. However, in lower viscosity melts low speed rotation of thechill body wheel will cause the material to run and spill over thewheel. For example, low viscosity amorphous materials must be run overhigh speed chill bodies leading to a thickness restriction for the castsheet of a few 0.02 mm, in contrast bulk solidifying amorphous alloysmay be formed in thicknesses up to 10 mm. Accordingly, for largerthickness foam-strip castings, a higher viscosity is preferred andaccordingly, as higher undercooling below Tm is employed.

It should be noted that the bubble distribution and volume fraction canbe adjusted during the solidification of foam precursor into a solidfoam material. This is due to the fact that that there is no clearliquid/solid transformation for a bulk solidifying amorphous metalduring the formation of the amorphous solid. For bulk solidifyingamorphous alloys, the molten alloy simply becomes more and more viscouswith increasing undercooling as it approaches the solid state around theglass transition temperature. Accordingly, the temperature of thesolidification front can be around glass transition temperature, wherethe alloy will practically act as a solid for the purposes of pullingout the quenched amorphous strip product. This unique property of bulksolidifying amorphous alloys can be utilized to grow the bubble sizes ina controllable manner. In other words, the foam precursor can beexpanded to form higher bubble volume fraction during its solidificationinto a solid foam material. This has also the allows for the formationof solid foam materials with a higher volume fraction of bubbledistribution than is possible using conventional metals that requireprocessing above the liquidus temperature.

At the first introduction of the foam melt precursor onto the chillbody, a solid skin will form due to the rapid cooling of the surface ofthe material. The skin thickness will be typically in the range of a fewmicrometers to tens of micrometers depending on the initial thickness ofmelt injection and the bubble volume fraction. This can be beneficiallyutilized to form foam panels with solid outer skins. For example, byutilizing a double-roll or similar apparatus, a foam panel with solidskins can be formed continuously. During such a process the inner coreof the melt body will still be in a viscous liquid regime. By employinga higher pressure during the formation of precursor the internalpressure in the bubbles can be made higher than the ambient pressure ofthe quenching environment. Accordingly, the core of the viscous meltwill expand outwards making a foam panel (or foam sandwich) having athickness larger than the initial melt thickness introduced onto thechill-body. Here, a lower viscosity in the earlier viscositystabilization step is preferable for a larger expansion of the core.Since the solidification is progressive, rather than abrupt in the caseof bulk-solidifying amorphous alloys, choosing a lower viscosity willprovide a larger window for expansion of the core, allowing for theformation of a solid foam material with a higher volume fraction ofbubbles.

As discussed above, after the charge of the amorphous alloy is injectedonto the surface of chill body, the material is cooled to temperaturesbelow glass transition temperature at a rate such that the amorphousalloy retains the amorphous state upon cooling. Preferably the coolingrate is less than 1000° C. per second, for example, the cooling rate canbe less than 10° C. per second, but sufficiently high to retain theamorphous state in the bulk solidifying amorphous alloy to remainamorphous upon cooling. The lowest cooling rate that will achieve thedesired amorphous structure in the article is chosen and achieved usingthe design of the chill body and the cooling channels. It should beunderstood that although a cooling rate range is discussed above, theactual value of the cooling rate cannot here be specified as a fixednumerical value because the value varies for different metalcompositions, materials, and the shape and thickness of the strip beingformed. However, the value can be determined for each case usingconventional heat flow calculations.

Although the general process discussed above is useful for a widevariety of bulk-solidifying amorphous alloys, it should be understoodthat the precise processing conditions required for any particularbulk-solidifying amorphous alloy will differ. For example, as discussedabove, a foam consisting of a liquid metal and gas bubbles is anunstable structure, flotation of the lighter gas bubbles due togravitational force takes place, leading to a gradient of the bubbles insize and volume. The flotation velocity of a gas bubble in any liquidmetal material can be calculated according to the Stoke's law:V_(sed)=2 a²(ρ_(l)−ρ_(g))g/9η  (3)where g is the gravitational acceleration, a is the bubble radius, andρ_(l), ρ_(g), are the densities of the liquid and gas, respectively.

An exemplary flotation velocity calculation made according to Equation 1for VIT-1 is shown in FIGS. 6a and 6b. As shown in FIG. 6a, usingexperimental viscosity data (as shown in FIG. 5) and a liquid VIT-1density of ρ=6.0×10³ kg/m³, the flotation velocities of bubbles in aVIT-1 alloy melt as a function of bubble radius is calculated for liquidVIT-1 at 950 K ( — ), and 1100 K ( - - - ). FIG. 6b shows the flotationfor a 1 mm gas bubble in liquid VIT-1 ( — ) and liquid Al ( - - - ) as afunction of T/T₁.

Using such graphs, acceptable processing conditions, such as time andtemperature can be determined. For example, if the duration of a typicalmanufacturing process is taken to be 60 s and an acceptable flotationdistance of ˜5 mm, processing times and temperatures resulting in aflotation velocity smaller than 10⁻⁴ m/s would be acceptable. Therefore,in this case an unacceptable bubble gradient can be avoided if themaximum bubble size is less than 630 μm if the VIT-1 melt is processedabove its liquidus temperature of about 950 K.

As described, the present invention allows for the continuous casting ofsolid foam structures with varying bubble densities. In one embodimentof the invention, the continuously cast solid foam structures have abubble density in the range of from 50 percent up to 95% by volume. Theinvention further allows the use of lesser bubble density in moltenstate above Tm, and increases the bubble density (by volume) byexpansion during continuous casting.

Although specific embodiments are disclosed herein, it is expected thatpersons skilled in the art can and will design alternative continuousfoam sheet casting apparatuses and methods to produce continuousamorphous alloy foam sheets that are within the scope of the followingclaims either literally or under the Doctrine of Equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of manufacturing a continuous sheet of ametallic glass foam from a bulk-solidifying amorphous alloy comprising:providing a quantity of a bulk solidifying amorphous alloy foamprecursor at a casting temperature around the melting temperature of thealloy; stabilizing the bulk solidifying amorphous alloy at a castingtemperature below the melting temperature [T_(m)] of the alloy and abovethe temperature at which crystallization occurs on the shortest timescale for the alloy [T_(NOSE)] such that the viscosity of the bulksolidifying amorphous alloy is from about 0.1 to 10,000 poise;introducing the stabilized bulk solidifying amorphous alloy foamprecursor onto a moving casting body such that a continuous sheet ofheated bulk solidifying amorphous alloy is formed thereon; and quenchingthe heated bulk solidifying amorphous alloy foam precursor at aquenching rate sufficiently fast such that the bulk solidifyingamorphous alloy remains in a substantially amorphous phase to form asolid amorphous continuous foam sheet having a thickness of at least 0.1mm.
 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the precursor is formedby providing a molten bulk-solidifying amorphous alloy; and introducinga plurality of gas bubbles to the molten alloy at a temperature abovethe liquidus temperature of the molten alloy to form a pre-cursor. 3.The method of claim 1, wherein the viscosity of the bulk solidifyingamorphous alloy at the “melting temperature” Tm of the bulk solidifyingamorphous alloy is from about 10 to 100 poise.
 4. The method of claim 1,wherein the viscosity of the bulk solidifying amorphous alloy at the“melting temperature” Tm of the bulk solidifying amorphous alloy is fromabout 1 to 1000 poise.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the criticalcooling rate of the bulk solidifying amorphous alloy is less than 1,000°C./sec.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the critical cooling rate ofthe bulk solidifying amorphous alloy is less than 10° C./sec.
 7. Themethod according to claim 2, wherein the gas bubbles are introduced tothe molten alloy by stirring the molten alloy.
 8. The method accordingto claim 2, wherein the gas bubbles are introduced to the molten alloyby adding an gas releasing agent to the molten alloy.
 9. The methodaccording to claim 1, wherein a volume fraction of <30% of a pluralityof bubbles having sizes between 1 μm and 1 mm are introduced to themolten alloy.
 10. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least 50%by volume of the metallic glass foam has an amorphous atomic structure.11. The method according to claim 1, further including homogenizing theexpanded bubbles by mechanically stirring the pre-cursor.
 12. The methodaccording to claim 1, wherein the step of introducing gas bubbles toform the pre-cursor occurs at a pressure up to 50 bar or more.
 13. Themethod according to claim 1, wherein the bubbles of the metallic foamhave a size distribution of about 10 μm.
 14. The method according toclaim 1, wherein the bulk solidifying amorphous alloy is a Zr-baseamorphous alloy.
 15. The method of claim 1, wherein the quenching occurson the casting body.
 16. The method of claim 1, wherein the casting bodyis selected from the group consisting of a wheel, a belt, double-rollwheels.
 17. The method of claim 1, wherein the casting body is formedfrom a material having a high thermal conductivity.
 18. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the casting body is formed of a material selected fromthe group consisting of copper, chromium copper, beryllium copper,dispersion hardening alloys, and oxygen-free copper.
 19. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the casting body is at least one of either highlypolished or chrome-plated.
 20. The method of claim 1, wherein thecasting body moves at a rate of 0.5 to 10 cm/sec.
 21. The method ofclaim 1, the casting temperature of the alloy is stabilized in aviscosity regime of 1 to 1,000 poise.
 22. The method of claim 1, whereinthe casting temperature of the alloy is stabilized in a viscosity regimeof 10 to 100 poise.
 23. The method of claim 1, wherein the foam sheethas a thickness of 0.5 to 3 mm.
 24. A method of manufacturing acontinuous sheet of a metallic glass foam from a bulk-solidifyingamorphous alloy comprising: providing a quantity of a bulk solidifyingamorphous alloy foam precursor at a casting temperature around themelting temperature of the alloy; stabilizing the bulk solidifyingamorphous alloy at a casting temperature below the melting temperature(T_(m)) of the alloy and above the temperature at which crystallizationoccurs on the shortest time scale for the alloy (T_(NOSE)); forming thestabilized bulk solidifying amorphous alloy foam precursor into acontinuous sheet of heated bulk solidifying amorphous alloy; andquenching the heated bulk solidifying amorphous alloy foam precursor ata quenching rate sufficiently fast such that the bulk solidifyingamorphous alloy remains in a substantially amorphous phase to form asolid amorphous continuous foam sheet having a thickness of at least 0.1mm.
 25. The method of claim 24, wherein the viscosity of thebulk-solidifying amorphous alloy at the casting temperature is fromabout 0.1 to 10,000 poise.